Firefighters work on a house fire in South Whitley after paramedics alerted the residents. (Courtesy: Parkview Whitley EMS)

SOUTH WHITLEY, Ind. (WANE) – It’s typical for an ambulance to be called to the scene of a fire, but in one situation in South Whitley, the ambulance was the first vehicle on the scene. The medics… the first to jump into action.

“We looked and the house was on fire.” Paramedic Nick Casey said about the events that unfolded in the overnight hours between Wednesday and Thursday.

His crew of three medics came upon a house fire in South Whitley. Medic Kyle Bair spotted the fire first.

“Kyle was driving and noticed quite a bit of smoke,” Casey added. “He asked if the house was on fire because there was a lot of smoke. So we slowed down.”

When they saw the flames, the medics realized the situation was more dire than a campfire.

“They came over and beat on the doors and windows to make sure everyone was awake, that way we could get everybody out of the house,” Josh Crawford said.

Josh and Jessica Crawford were inside the house with their two and four-year-old girls. They were able to escape without injury.

The firefighters got to work in moments.

“The fire department got there within a couple of minutes,” Casey said. “Cleveland Township [firefighters] did a great job.”

“They did an awesome job getting us out of the house,” Crawford added. “Kudos to the fire department for getting the fire out. They stayed here to make sure that everything was put out all the way so it wouldn’t start back up.”

The young family is now out of their home, but safe with relatives, while the medics wait for the next life saving situation.

“One of those fluke things,” Crawford said. “Everybody is fine, so that’s the main thing.”

“We’re just happy we crossed by at that moment and we were able to see the flames on the outside,” Casey added. “It was just good luck. Glad everybody got out. Not anything I would think any of our other crews wouldn’t have done.”

The cause fire is under investigation. Crawford told NewsChannel 15 the flames were first seen in the back of the house. The laundry room suffered the most fire damage. Smoke damage stretched through the home.